Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said that the Foreign Ministry will play a role in relation to potential partners in the controlled export of Ukrainian weapons.
“Support for our defense industry is an absolute priority for our diplomacy. It includes three priorities. The first is more investment. The second is support for the president’s initiative on the possibility of exporting surplus products from our defense industry,“ Sybiga said during his opening remarks at the third International Defense Industry Forum (DFNC3) on Monday.
According to Sybiga, the Foreign Ministry ”will play its role here with regard to potential partners.”
“Those countries that today take a passive position on supporting Ukraine, that provide covert or overt support for Russian aggression, will certainly not be included in the list of partners who will be able to cooperate with Ukraine and Ukrainian companies in this area,” the head of the ministry said.
The third priority of the Foreign Ministry in supporting the Ukrainian defense industry, Sibiga added, is “to create a real multiplier effect from our weapons.” In particular, this refers to the creation of jobs for Ukrainian citizens in Ukraine.
“This, by the way, is also our integration into the European Union. The latest Eurobarometer says that it is precisely because of our contribution to security that we are most eagerly awaited as a future member of the EU,” the minister added.
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The production of Ukrainian weapons will be organized in Lithuania, according to an agreement reached at a meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry’s press service reported on Tuesday.
“During the meeting between Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Dovilė Šakalenė and Ukrainian Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal, a bilateral Protocol of Intent on the production of Ukrainian weapons in Lithuania was signed, and the types of weapons to be produced and further steps were discussed,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.
It is noted that the document “provides for joint production of defense industry products, technology transfer, project development, and localization of production in Lithuania.”
“This will pave the way for long-term partnership, strengthening collective European security, and creating sustainable supply chains,” the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said.
According to Šakalėnė, Lithuania remains firmly committed to further supporting Ukraine. According to the minister, “in the coming years, it is planned to allocate more than EUR 200 million to support Ukraine for projects related to armaments, anti-drone systems, demining, rehabilitation, training, and support for Ukraine’s defense industry.” The Lithuanian Defense Minister also announced in Kyiv that Lithuania intends to contribute up to EUR 30 million to the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) initiative.
The minister also met with the leadership of the Ukrainian Air Force and air defense experts to discuss emerging challenges, lessons learned, and innovations in the field of air defense.
“We discussed Ukraine’s latest decisions in response to the changing situation with air threats and technological innovations. I want to ensure the most effective cooperation possible in strengthening our air defense and responding to the changing technologies and methods used by Russia. We agreed to hold regular expert consultations on the application of practical experience to strengthen our air defense,” Shakalene said.
According to her, “it is extremely important to strengthen airspace surveillance in order to detect Russian drones heading for Belarus as early as possible, which may subsequently violate Lithuanian airspace. To this end, it was agreed to exchange information between representatives of our air forces.”
Denmark and Germany have agreed to participate in the new format of arms supplies to Kyiv proposed by US President Donald Trump, while France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Hungary have refused, Western media reported on Wednesday.
In addition, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Europe increasingly feels the need to end its dependence on US weapons.
“Europe is heavily dependent on the US defense industry. However, due to trade tariffs, President Trump’s attitude toward NATO and his lack of commitment to defending the alliance’s countries, European countries will increasingly prioritize investments in their own defense systems,” the agency’s sources said.
According to the European portal Politico, France has refused to participate in the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. The publication’s sources said that instead, the government intends to focus on increasing its own defense budget, which President Emmanuel Macron promised last weekend to almost double by 2027 compared to the 2017 budget.
In addition, Paris wants to support European manufacturers who previously supplied Ukraine with anti-missile systems and other weapons.
Italy also has no plans to purchase weapons from the US for delivery to Ukraine, but will continue to provide military assistance to Kyiv. Unnamed representatives of the Ministry of Defense told the newspaper La Stampa that there had never been any talks about purchasing American weapons for Kyiv.
In addition, the newspaper notes that Italy does not have the funds to carry out operations of this kind. According to the newspaper’s sources, the problem is so acute that the only purchase from the US planned by Italy for the next ten years is a batch of F-35 fighter jets for its own needs.
The Czech government, in turn, said that military aid to Kyiv would continue, but through participation in other initiatives and purchases from Czech, not American, manufacturers.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Budapest does not intend to participate in the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine.
Berlin and Copenhagen have so far given their official consent to purchase weapons from the US. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen said he was fully prepared to join the funding.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry, in turn, said it was considering participating in the program. However, despite the government’s positive assessment of the initiative, Amsterdam has not yet confirmed its commitment to direct participation.
According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom are also expected to join the funding.
On July 11, Trump announced that US NATO allies would purchase weapons from Washington, which could then be transferred to Ukraine.
During a press conference with Trump on Monday, Rutte called it “logical” that European countries would pay for US arms deliveries to Ukraine.
European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that EU countries would prefer Washington to provide part of its military aid to Ukraine free of charge. “If we pay for these weapons, it means that we, not the US, are providing this military aid,” Callas said at a press conference in Brussels. She stressed that Brussels “would like to see these costs shared.”
Weapons production in Ukraine doubled in the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
“In 2023, arms production in Ukraine tripled. In the first eight months of this year, we increased production by another two times compared to the previous year. Today we are producing a quantity of weapons that would have seemed impossible in 2022,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the second International Defense Industries Forum (DFNC2).
The Prime Minister noted that the draft state budget for 2025 allocates 65% more funds for the production of weapons and military equipment, which is an increase of almost UAH 300 billion.
“This means that next year there will be even more Ukrainian drones, missiles, ammunition, vehicles, artillery, and everything else we need for defense,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
Shmyhal said that Ukraine would produce 1.5 million drones in 2024, which was made possible, in part, by the involvement and support of private companies. “We have created a market for drones, and next year this number and capacity will be even greater… We are also creating a market for ammunition,” the Prime Minister added.
Among other things, the Prime Minister said that the government is forming a mechanism for long-term contracts for weapons manufacturers; building a new architecture for military procurement; expanding locations for weapons production, including the creation of underground sites.
Shmyhal said that the priorities for production include: various types of drones, including ground-based robotic systems; a full-fledged missile program, including ballistic weapons; expanding the production of all types of shells; artillery systems and various types of armored vehicles.
In addition, he said, the government is investing in the development of electronic warfare.
The German government intends to allocate 400 million euros for the purchase of weapons for Ukraine, Stern magazine reported on Thursday.
“The federal government wants to allocate an additional 400 million euros for military support to Ukraine as soon as possible. This follows from a letter from the Ministry of Finance to the Bundestag Budget Committee, which was obtained by the State Tax Administration,” the publication informs.
The money is to be used to purchase air defense systems, drones and protective equipment for the Ukrainian military.
At the same time, according to Stern, State Secretary of the German Ministry of Finance Florian Tonkar warned that “without a significant increase in material support, Ukraine will be defeated.”
The magazine reminds that the German government plans to allocate 1.42 billion euros for military support to Ukraine by the end of 2024. This is 397 million euros more than budgeted, so the Bundestag’s consent is required for additional spending.
Almost 226 thousand applications for weapons permits have been filed by Ukrainians in 8 months, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. More than 210 thousand of them were approved. The average number of applications per month has increased 1.8 times compared to the first months of the Unified Weapons Register.
93% of the applications submitted to the Register between June 2023 and February 2024 were approved, which is more than 210 thousand permits.
In the first three months of operation, Ukrainians submitted more than 57 thousand applications, of which 87% were approved. Later, the demand for weapons grew. Thus, over the next 5 months, Ukrainians submitted significantly more applications – more than 168 thousand applications. Of these, more than 160 thousand or 95% were approved.
Most often, requests are submitted through the Single Window, but despite the growth in the number of people wishing to obtain a gun permit, its popularity has declined. Over 65 thousand people have used the service in the 8 months of its existence. More than half of the applications were received in the first three months of the site’s operation.
The situation is similar with applications through the chatbot: more than 14 thousand people have applied there since then. 62% of applications were submitted in the first 3 months. To illustrate, during the first months of the project’s existence, every sixth application was submitted through the bot, while in the next 5 months, every 30 applications were submitted through the bot.
On June 23, the electronic Unified Firearms Register was launched in Ukraine. Since then, citizens have been able to submit an application for a permit to purchase, store, or carry weapons, report a change of residence in the context of the place of storage of weapons, and apply for a permit extension online. In addition, the service provides information about their registered weapons.
